Nine Months
by halliegirl
Summary: Glimpses into Natsu and Lucy's most perilous journey yet! Nine months, nine drabbles. NaLu Ch7 up! One second she's laughing and the next she's crying, screaming and throwing a fit. What's a Dragon Slayer to do when faced with the terrors of... the Mood Swing?
1. Month One: Sickness

Well, I thought I'd give this a shot. This is my first Fairy Tail fanfic, so please pardon the mistakes. Also, it's a NaLu fic so if you don't like, don't read! That is all, now on with the story!

Oh wait, Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail! **NOW** on with the story!

Nine Months

Month One: Sickness

"Oy!" The Dragon Slayer greeted as he hopped through the window to the Celestial Wizard's tiny apartment. Not being received as usual, with an angry Lucy ranting about his coming in unannounced, his expression took on one of confusion. "Lucy?"

"Lucy?" The little exceed on his shoulder parroted.

They were both greeted in turn by the rather unpleasant sound of Lucy retching in the bathroom.

Natsu frowned in concern and motioned for Happy to stay behind. "Luce? You okay?" He knocked and then opened the door, steeling himself for the terrible odor that would be certain to hit his sensitive nose. He wasn't disappointed, but forced himself to focus on his comrade rather than the smell coming from her. "You're still sick?"

Her normally radiant skin tone was dull and pale from her being sick for so long. Nevertheless she tried to smile. "I-It's really nothing. I mean it." She grimaced. "Oh..." Before kneeling over the toilet and letting loose the contents that had been this morning's breakfast. "Maybe you both better go, huh?"

The salmon-haired mage just shook his head. She wasn't even putting up a fight. "You've been sick for days now, Luce. Just let us take care of you, okay? We're not going anywhere until Team Natsu is back at full strength!" He pumped his fist in the air and gave her his cocky grin. Deep down, though, his worries soared. Since that fateful night when he thought he'd lost her, and realized his feelings toward the beautiful blonde mage, he had acted on them. It had brought them a lot closer together. Blushing at the memory, he turned away from Lucy. They had confessed their feelings, and let themselves be caught up in the heat of the moment... After all that they had shared, he couldn't help the overbearing feelings of worry he was experiencing. They may not have officially become a couple yet, but even Natsu was smart enough to realize that Lucy was the one precious thing that he couldn't afford to lose.

Lucy broke his reverie by throwing herself over the toilet yet again and hurling. "R-really, Natsu... this is _completely_... ugh... embarrassing..." She panted in between.

He grabbed a washcloth and knelt beside her, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Lucy. Everyone gets sick sometimes, right?" He grinned at her encouragingly.

"Yeah... Thank you, Natsu..." She leaned on him for support and he helped her stand. "Now that I've lost my breakfast... I am kinda hungry again," she said sheepishly as he led her out of the bathroom.

"I'm glad to hear you say that Lucy!" Happy exclaimed proudly. "I went ahead and made you some grilled fish! Smell it! Smells great doesn't it!? Dig in!"

"Ugh!" Lucy collapsed on Natsu momentarily before scrambling around him to get back to the porcelain throne yet again, as whatever she had left in her entire system threatened to come out at the smell.

Caught off guard, Natsu blinked for a moment until he realized what happened. "Um, Happy, maybe you should take the fish somewhere else..." He said before following Lucy back into the bathroom again. "It's a mystery sickness, that's for sure," he said, kneeling down and holding her hair back. "We need to solve this mystery! You should go see Porlyusica, Lucy."

"Aye," Happy agreed, coming into the bathroom. "It really is a bad sickness if you get sick from smelling grilled fish! Who can get sick from that?"

Lucy had finished throwing up but couldn't move from that position and so she lowered the toilet seat and crossed her arms over it, resting her forehead in her forearms for comfort. "Maybe... maybe you're right."

Noticing the uncomfortable position Lucy was in, Natsu pulled her against his chest, making her forget about her nausea in her surprise. "We'll solve this mystery, don't worry Lucy! And we'll do it together!"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she smiled with a nod. No matter how awful she felt at this very moment, knowing that her good friends were there for her, she was beginning to feel better already.

Author's note: I was super nervous about posting this but then decided, what the heck? Let me know how you liked it. Leave a review if you like. Well, till next time, laters~!


	2. Month Two: Pregnant

A special thanks to BlueIrishGurl11, tukiko, FictionLover12, skelekc, IxiaLiliana, and beatress for your reviews! As I said before I was super nervous about posting this, but thanks to your encouragement I feel much better now. As I write this, I'm just finishing up the entire story in rough draft, meaning that it (technically) is finished. Though I usually rip apart the chapter and redo it piece by piece so that's what takes it so long. But just please know that this story WILL be completed!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail! If I did NaLu would've been canon from day one!

Nine Months

Month Two: Pregnant

"You... you're kidding me, right? I'm... I'm not... pre... pre..." Lucy, in her terror, couldn't even form the word in her mouth.

"Pregnant?" The Porlyusica finished for her as she stood up. "Yes, Lucy Heartfilia, it is absolutely true. Why would I joke about a thing like that?"

"But, th-that's... impossible..."

The older woman narrowed her eyes at Lucy. "It's very possible. Let me list the facts again. You and Natsu have been intimate within these past two months, you're feeling nauseated, your breasts are tender and you haven't had your period yet. Now the test I performed has come back positive. Tell me now, how it could be _possible_ that you're not pregnant?"

The blonde started to shake. "B-but, it was only once. One time!" She tried to argue back.

"I would hope that you're old enough to know by now that all it takes is one time," she chided Lucy, but then continued. "Now, I want you to come in for frequent visits after this, eat right, exercise..."

Her words faded out as Lucy covered her mouth, trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes._ What do I do now? I can't tell him! He's waiting out there for me. He dragged me here and he won't let me leave without an explanation! _Panic mode set and she burst out the door.

"Lucy!" The guild's medical advisor shouted behind her.

She ran past Natsu, but not before he caught sight and scent of her tears. "Lucy!" He called after her and broke into a run. She wasn't going to outrun him! No way! He took off after her and managed to catch up to her relatively quickly. He reached out and caught her by the arm. His eyes widened when he felt her trembling. "L-Luce... what's wrong? What is it?" He asked, unnerved by her expression. Natsu put both hands on her shoulders, shaking her lightly when she didn't respond. "Lucy! What's wrong!?" He demanded.

"Let me go! Let me go!" She pleaded.

"I can't. Not until you tell me what's wrong. Not until I can stop worrying."

At that, her resistance crumbled and she collapsed into him, crying, her unstable hormones already getting the better of her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Natsu! I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize, Lucy, you've got nothing to be sorry for! Hey, it's okay." His arms went around her, trying to comfort her.

"Of course I do! I've got everything to apologize for! I'm pregnant!" She cried out and covered her mouth, shying away from him. "I'm sorry, and I understand if you never want to see me again." New tears started rolling down her face.

Natsu just stood there dumbly for a minute. His shoulders started to shake, making Lucy worry that he really was furious now. She turned back to him, frightened, only to find him laughing. "Oh, Lucy, _that's _what you're apologizing for? Last time I checked, it takes two people to make a baby." Natsu reached forward and held her to him. "Why would I be angry at you? I'd have to be angry with myself more, since I'm the one who started it that night." He blushed slightly at saying that. He breathed in, taking Lucy's scent, and there it was. A little piece of him and her, together. "Wow. I can't believe I missed it before."

"N-Natsu, I'm scared." Lucy cried. "How can you just stand there and be so calm about this!? Aren't you upset too?"

His expression turned serious and he looked at her evenly. "Being upset is just a waste of time and energy at this point. It happened. There's nothing we can do about it but face it head on. We're a team, Lucy. We started this together. And we're gonna finish this together. Right? I think of it this way. We're starting out on a huge mission, and the rewards are gonna be great!" He winked at her.

"Lucy! Natsu!" Happy shouted in the distance. "Are you okay? Everyone's worried about you Lucy! They're on their way now, too!"

Natsu gulped. Suddenly, having to tell Erza and the others that he'd somehow managed to impregnate Lucy without being in a real relationship with her yet was starting to scare him a little, too. But Lucy's hand grabbed onto his and squeezed, and he caught her reassuring smile. "A team, right?"

"Right." He answered back.

Author's Note: This chapter was actually shorter than last one's. But the next one (which I'm currently working on and hopefully will have up in a day or so) will make up for it in length, I think. Well, let me know how you liked it. Later, guys! ~Hallie


	3. Month Three: Stay

A special thanks to my reviewers, xEhyeh-Asher-Ehyehx, FictionLover12, and Shifuku. Sorry this took so long to get out! I seriously redid this chapter over and over again. It still didn't come out quite the way I wanted or expected but I hope you like it nonetheless. This chapter isn't quite a drabble, either. It has a LOT of content so I hope you'll bear with it. Oh, and FictionLover12's comment about Natsu being mature, I hope this chapter clears some things up about it. It's not as much him being mature, but more his "jump right on into it full gusto" attitude.

Disclaimer: I don't own this wonderful series. I wish I did because if I did NaLu would be 100% canon and shipped!

Month Three: Stay

It all began during a mission, she noticed. That's when things started to change. _He _started to change. She woke up and got ready to go on another mission, just like any day. Except for she wasn't _feeling_ like any other day. She was achy, tired, nauseated and weak. Normally the morning sickness would flare up in the morning for awhile and then leave her alone as long as she steered clear of grilled fish and the awful smell that came from it. Not this morning, though. And then there was the fatigue added to it and the sore joints. Lucy really felt terrible. But she couldn't let that get in the way of the mission. There was rent to pay, and with the baby coming, she knew that she had to get in as much work as possible before she couldn't work anymore. Deep down, she knew that Natsu would gladly help her out, but she didn't want to burden him with her problems. After all, it wasn't like they were actually in a relationship yet. Or if they would ever be in a relationship at all. All that she knew was that he liked her and she liked him, they had accidentally allowed those feelings to get in the way for one night, and now they both facing parenthood head on in just half a year's time.

To anyone else, the answer would have seemed obviously simple, right? Just go ahead, get into that relationship with Natsu! Jump on in headfirst! Let your heart lead the way, cross that bridge when you get to it, and whatever will be will be!

But, Lucy was scared, and she had a feeling that Natsu held some of the same reservations. What they had, it was a beautiful friendship. They were best friends. Closer than most. Closer than Lucy had felt to any boyfriend she'd ever had, by far (not that she had many experiences to choose from, mind you). And if all that a relationship had to offer were shallow confessions of love and superficial sweet nothings whispered into her ear, well, she didn't want that. She didn't want to destroy the deep connection that she'd already had with Natsu. Every relationship that she became involved in (not that she had time for many) always ended the same way. After one or two dates, she either broke it off because she had no time or the guy broke it off because he didn't want to have to "wait" for intimacy. It made her feel cheap and degraded, and so in the end she began to wonder why people pursued relationships at all.

Lucy didn't want to burden Natsu with her problems, other than asking him to help her by taking care of some baby expenses here and there. That meant that rent was due and food was running low in the cupboards. And so she grudgingly readied herself for the day.

* * *

Down the road a ways, the very Dragon Slayer in her thoughts also had his own dragons to slay (no pun intended). He kept mulling the thoughts over and over in his mind again. At first, it hadn't occurred to him what was really happening. Oh, sure, he knew Lucy was pregnant, but those were just words. It seemed far off in the distant horizon, and it didn't even seem quite real. He treated it like a battle; a mission. The issue presented itself, and he was going to face it head on "like a man" as Elfman would say.

He was excited about being a father at first, until Erza had given him "the talk." He shuddered at the thought. It was as terrifying as "the punishment" and Natsu had blocked the darkest elements out of his memory already. Natsu had also learned a few things about parenting from talking to Lucy and he wasn't quite sure he liked it. After all, he'd been hoping for a little Dragon Slayer to practice his magic on, but apparently Lucy didn't like the idea at all for some reason. She didn't seem to think that the baby would come out fighting like Natsu had hoped. "Don't even think about it," she kept telling him. And "Babies are fragile, so they can't do those things."

Still, Natsu Dragneel couldn't allow himself to back down from this. It was a battle of sorts, one that he was determined to win. As long as he had his friends and partners Lucy and Happy, he felt like he couldn't lose. As far as a relationship with Lucy went, he couldn't say. Lucy seemed okay with how they were and he wasn't going to be complaining or pushing anything new on her. She seemed stressed out enough as it was. As far as he was concerned, nothing had changed. Sure, Lucy was pregnant but that didn't mean anything special right? She could still participate in missions and she would have him around as usual to help her out if she needed. That was what he had thought at the time. What he didn't know was that he was so very wrong about that.

Completely unaware of the future unfolding before him, he had made it to Lucy's apartment. He and Happy climbed through the window to get their partner as they always had before. "Oy, Lucy! Ready to go yet?" He grinned boyishly. "Those dark enchants won't dispel themselves after all!" As soon as he'd spoken he started to get a bad feeling that things were changing. Changing much too fast for his liking. The grin fell as soon as he smelled the faint scent of her being sick. He took a few steps closer to inspect her and wasn't pleased with the results. She looked unwell to put it mildly. "Luce, you should stay home."

"What? Natsu, no, no I promise I'm just about ready!" She finished up and ran up to her partner. "See? Let's go!"

Happy frowned as well. "Lucy, did you have a bad time sleeping last night? You have circles under your eyes."

She shook her head quickly. "No, nothing like that! I feel just fine, see?" She flexed an arm for them both to see.

After a long pause to inspect her, Natsu's grin was back. "Jeez, Lucy, you're weird. How does flexing your muscles have to do with how you're feeling anyway?"

"Shut up, I'm _not_ weird! If anyone's weird it's you guys, always flying in through the window!" She bantered back as she led them both out her door.

He and Happy shared a laugh as they followed her, closing the door behind them. "Whatever you say, Luce..."

It started that way, and soon regressed into something much worse. The ride in the wagon to the city was hell, both for Natsu and Lucy. They took turns leaning out of the wagon this time.

"Gosh, maybe Wendy should have come along this time," Happy fretted. "Lucy's sick, too!"

"Guess motion sickness runs in the family, eh? Flamebrain's offspring doesn't seem to like it either," Gray remarked with a roll of his eyes. "Pathetic, but why the hell did he have to drag Lucy into this mess with the kid anyway?"

Erza shook her head. "It wasn't all his fault. Lucy could have refused his advances. Anyway, they've already been dealt with," she answered with a menacing glint in her eye.

Gray pulled back in fear. "Something tells me I don't want to know what you mean by that..."

She turned to him with a fiery look in her eyes. "The same will happen to you if anything like this happens to Juvia!" She threatened.

"Gah! Don't scare me like that! And anyway, I'd freeze hell over before anything like that happens!"

"You say that after losing your pants?" Happy snickered. "You liiiiiiike her after all!"

"Would you like to become a popsicle?" Gray glared daggers at the Exceed.

"Knock it off you two!" Erza growled, causing both of them to back off immediately and cower on the other side of the wagon and fell quiet for awhile again.

The silence was broken by the sound of heaving out of the side of the wagon once again. Lucy shakily wiped at her mouth and fell back. She glanced over at the Dragon Slayer beside her. If she hadn't been feeling so crummy herself, she probably would have found it at least slightly amusing. There she was, puking her guts out of the side of a wagon because she was pregnant and the father of her child was next to useless. She sighed and burrowed into Natsu's side, seeking any tiny bit of comfort that the Dragon Slayer could possibly offer to her.

He stirred slightly, and in response, his arm came up to rest on her shoulder and pull her slightly closer in a lame attempt to comfort her. Lame, indeed, but adorable in his own way.

She had to admit that it did have the desired affect. A tiny smile graced her lips and she lay her head on the Dragon Slayer's chest, forcing herself to focus on the sound of his heart beating and gradually it lulled her to sleep.

Natsu by this point had passed out against the Celestial Mage and his weight pushed right back up against her. The ride dragged on until it finally stopped and they'd reached their destination. Natsu woke up to find Lucy still burrowed into his side. "Lucy, wake up." He nudged her. "We're here."

She groaned and opened her eyes. Half-awake, she attempted to stand and ended up falling into Natsu. "I don't... feel so good..."

He supported her and helped her off the wagon. "If that's the case, hang back at the inn, then. We'll take care of it."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "I can't! I need to help out too! Besides... I don't have any money for an inn right now."

His grip tightened on her. "Luce... if you're not feeling good then you should just rest. Don't worry about the money."

"I'm... I'm fine now!" She pulled away. "See?"

He frowned but didn't protest further.

The redheaded swords woman studied the flier that they had before steering them off in the direction they needed to go. It got even worse from there.

They discovered the source of the dark enchants were a group of dark mages and a fight soon broke out. Erza had requipped, Gray had been using his Ice-Maker magic and Natsu had been throwing around his Dragon Slayer fire all around. It was Lucy's turn this time. "Open, Gate of the Bull! Open, Gate of the Lion!" She called out both simultaneously. It should have been an easy task. Normally it was. Not this time, however. As soon as they both appeared, her vision blurred and she collapsed.

"Lucy!" Loke shouted as soon as he saw her on the ground and immediately flew to her side.

"What did you guys do to Lucy's beautiful body!?" Taurus demanded. "You sure know how to ruin the moo-oood!" He leaped forward and attacked an enemy but too quickly was overwhelmed and dispatched back to the Spirit World.

That left Loke on his own, holding an unconscious Lucy. _Something doesn't fit right here. Lucy can handle summoning two spirits at a time easily. What went wrong?_

Seeing Lucy as a weak point, the other black mages began attacking Loke, who dodged their attacks while still keeping her from harm's way. He glared at them and raised his arm. "Regulus grant me power!" He shouted, casting his magic on them. It struck one down, but three more attacked him at once and all he could do this time was shield Lucy from the attack with his own body. "Gah! Looks... like... I've reached... my limit... Lucy... sorry..." He said before fading away.

Lucy opened her eyes just in time to see Loke fade away. "L-Loke!" She looked wildly around her. "What happened!? Taurus! Loke!" The three dark mages were closing in for the kill on her. She struggled to move but to no avail.

Happy called over his shoulder at Natsu, having seen what was happening to Lucy. "Natsu, Lucy's in trouble!"

Having finished with the group he'd been dealing with, Natsu whirled around. "Damn it! LUCY!" He made a mad dash to get to her but realized he wasn't going to make it in time. Desperately, he gathered what was left of his energy and channeled it into his breath attack. "Fire Dragon's ROAR!" He shouted, unleashing his powerful fire attack, charring the three that threatened her instantly. That done, he made his way toward her. "Lucy!"

She tried to stand and call out another spirit. "Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!" A light flashed around her and she collapsed, unable to call upon the archer spirit. "Why...?"

"Lucy!" Natsu knelt beside her. "What's wrong?" He helped her sit up, having her lean heavily on him.

"I don't know... I just feel so weak..." She said before everything went black.

The Dragon Slayer was seeing red. "Happy, stay with Lucy." Natsu shook slightly before laying her gently down on the ground.

"Aye."

The Dragon Slayer walked calmly past Erza and Gray before coming up on the last group of dark mages to threaten them. "I'm all fired up," he growled, a terrifying glint in his eye. "And I'm gonna _enjoy_ burnin' you all to ash_._"

The explosion of fire could be seen from miles away.

* * *

Lucy woke up in her own bed, keys beside her, completely alone. "What... happened?" She stood and went downstairs, bumping into her Landlady. "Umm... I'm going to get the money right now to pay you so please don't kick me out!" She begged.

"Oh, your friends dropped your payment off already so don't worry about it," she nonchalantly said, waving her off.

"Eh?" She scratched the back of her head in confusion. _I guess I'll have to go and thank them! _She thought, running for the guild. On her way in she bumped into Natsu and Happy, heading out in a hurry. "Natsu! Wait a second!" She called after him.

He didn't even turn around.

"Hi Lucy, bye Lucy!" Happy called hurriedly over his shoulder before following Natsu.

Anger flared up inside her. "What's his deal!?" Turning around she stepped inside. "Hi, guys! Where's Erza and Gray?"

Mirajane smiled warmly. "It's good to see you up and about again, Lucy. They headed out ahead on a mission. Natsu and Happy just left, I guess they fell behind this morning. After all, they were checking up on you."

"Oh, I should go with them, then!" Lucy exclaimed, ready to run out the door.

"Actually, Lucy," Mira bit her lip as she spoke, "Natsu said that he doesn't want you on this mission. That's why he left in such a hurry."

Hurt filled the Stellar Mage's eyes briefly but she masked it right after. "Oh, right! They're probably waiting for me to recover!" And so she let it go this time.

But then it happened again. When she tried to join Team Natsu on a mission, they coldly rebuked her. It happened again. And again. And again. Lucy would have felt extremely hurt and betrayed had she not been so worried about her living expenses. Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza were barely around, constantly going on jobs and leaving her behind. When they did stop in, it seemed that they would stop in and talk to everyone else but Lucy. She watched as Natsu approached Bisca and the two walked off together. Her angry glare bore into the back of his head.

_If only looks could kill, _thought Bisca as she stepped outside with Natsu. She turned to the young Dragon Slayer. "You needed me for something?"

A slight blush tinted his cheeks. "I'm totally lost," he started.

The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "You look fine to me. The guild's right here," she joked.

"You know what I mean!" He snapped, clenching his fists.

She sighed and ruffled his hair. "Things have gotten awkward, have they?"

"Very," Natsu admitted quietly. "I don't know how to handle this stuff, Bisca. I'm not gonna run, 'cause I'm not a coward. I've been saving money these past few weeks so I can take care of them both but... but, Lucy... she's... so _confusing_ right now. I want to tell her to stay with me but I don't know how she's gonna take it. It's like she's gone from weird to _crazy_."

"She's _pregnant_, Natsu," Bisca corrected. "She's going through a lot."

He shrugged helplessly. "Where does that leave _me_?"

Bisca smiled. "That leaves you right here asking me for help. Don't worry. I'll help you. Here are some pointers when dealing with a pregnant spouse." She counted on her fingers as she listed them. "First, don't _ever_ call a pregnant woman fat. Second, no matter what she wants to eat, just let her eat it. She's going to get cravings, and they might be the worst things you can imagine at the worst time, but just be patient with them. It's good if she's listening to her body because that means the baby is getting everything it needs. Lastly, she's going to be insecure and emotional. So, just don't forget to remind her that you think she's pretty every now and then. Tell her the truth. That being with her makes you happy." She grinned and patted him on the back. "Start with that and I think you're off to a pretty good start."

"So then, telling her that I want her to stay is a good thing?"

The rifle-woman rolled her eyes. "Of course it's a good thing."

"Thanks for the advice."

"You're welcome. Please don't hesitate to ask me if you need help. I think you're going to need all you can get," Bisca returned.

"Gee, thanks." He left Bisca to go back into the guild and look for Lucy. He had a feeling that what he needed to tell her was long overdue.

* * *

Lucy had finally come to the conclusion that she had been ousted from the team. She would have to go solo. And so, she stood in front of the request board, looking it down for the perfect job. She finally chose one, worth 100,000 jewel. She figured it would be okay for now. If she could pace herself with money, it would be all right. She went to leave with the flier in her hands.

"What are you doing?" Natsu's voice from behind startled her.

Her hands shook as she clutched the request sheet to her chest, tears threatening. "What does it _look_ like I'm doing? I'm going on a mission."

"Alone?" His voice sounded like it held disbelief in it.

"Well, duh, since I'm obviously not welcome with you guys," she said bitterly.

"If I don't want you going on jobs with us, what makes you think I want you going _alone_?" His voice was dangerously low, as if he was angry.

"Oh, so now I'm supposed to listen to you, even though you haven't spoken to me in over a week!?" She shrieked at him. "Whatever! I don't have time for this! I'm going!"

His arm was on her shoulder, forcefully stopping her. "No, you're not."

She pushed him aside and stormed out the door, knowing full well that he was in hot pursuit. "You're not my boss, Natsu, just go away and leave me alone. Don't you have a job to be going on too?"

"I'm not gonna let you go, Luce," he said, his voice surprisingly serious.

"I don't have a choice, Natsu! I have to!" She whirled around to face him, tears falling freely down her cheeks. "I have to earn what I can to support myself and the baby! I have to do it now while I still can! Soon I won't be able to and I know that... I _know_ that and I'm just trying and I'm so scared and I can't-"

She was cut off when Natsu hugged her to his chest tightly. "Idiot," he mumbled into her hair. "Why do you think I've been working so much and been gone so long?"

"Wh-what do you mean...?" She whimpered.

"I'm gonna take care of you, Weirdo." That silly, cocky grin of his was back on his face again. Despite the name-calling, his words were gentle. "The baby's got to have a mom _and_ a dad right? And besides, didn't I say this already? We're a team." The grin faded. "Sorry. In the beginning, I really didn't know what to do and you seemed scared too. I thought that anything I did was gonna mess something up. I didn't know how to approach this." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I still don't know the first thing about this kinda stuff, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna run away either. I knew from the beginning I was gonna help you with the baby. I'd owe you that much, but you just seemed like you wanted things to stay the way they were. So, I lost the nerve to ask you. But, after that last mission..." His eyes darkened. "I thought I lost you and... I've never been that scared in my life. And... I realized something. I want... no, I _need_ you to stay, Lucy. Will you stay with me?"

"I'm afraid to," she admitted.

"Can I ask why?" Natsu's voice was soft. "Why are you so scared, Luce? It's just us. It's always been just us. Partners like always."

"I've tried these things before. Each time, he was supposed to be the most precious person, but, it always fell apart. It was so shallow... In the end I felt used and cheated. I was supposed to be with this guy, but then no matter how many dates I'd be on with the same person, the friendship that you and I had was always so much more special... I'm scared, what if that's all that love is...? What if we throw away what we have for something meaningless like that?"

Natsu rested his forehead against Lucy's. "And _I'm_ supposed to be the clueless one here," he chuckled. "After all the times you go on and on about wanting a boyfriend, or the dates you've gone on, I thought you woulda figured it out by now." He shook his head. "Luce, friendship and love, they're the same thing!"

It was Lucy's turn to laugh. "Natsu, that's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard!"

"It's the truth, Dummy! You love all your friends. But being in love with someone means that there's a special friend that you cherish above the others. That you'll be there for them when they're sad or scared. You'll cry with them. You'll laugh with them. And at the end of the day you're always on their side. Get it now? So can I stay with you? Will you let me take care of the two of you?" His hand reached down and came to a rest on her belly. "Even if you say no, I'm still going to do it. You might as well make it easier on us."

Nodding slightly, she leaned forward and nuzzled into Natsu's shoulder. "Okay," she whispered so softly that a normal person wouldn't have been able to hear her.

But Natsu did. "I've gotta get going. There's some stuff to do, but I'll be back tonight. Wait for me, okay?" He waved at her and ran off.

Lucy decided to go for a walk to mull things over. She felt more at ease when Natsu said he'd take care of her. She wondered what he meant. Would she move in with him? Where would they go together? Did that mean that he wanted to marry her someday? A blush tinted her cheeks red as she imagined herself in a beautiful white dress, standing beside Natsu in front of an altar in a tiny church somewhere and she quickly shook those thoughts from her head. What had started off as a tiny walk to gather her thoughts had become a few mile trek before Lucy knew it and she realized how late it was. She needed to get back home or no doubt Natsu would be combing the town looking for her. By the time she had reached her apartment building, but she had no idea of the big surprise that awaited her. When she entered her apartment, she found the living room completely filled with baby items. In the corner of the room beside her dresser was a bassinet. "Wha-? What is this?" She moved to the kitchen to find it totally stocked with every type of food she could even think of. On the counter lay an envelope with her name scratched on it in Natsu's handwriting. She opened it and gasped. _No, there has to be at least a million Jewel in here! What, did Natsu give me his whole life savings!? I can't accept this! _A knock sounded at the door, interrupting her thoughts. She opened the door, only to be greeted by her elderly landlady. "Y-yes...?" She asked timidly, wondering what she'd done to anger the elder woman.

"You're not the one in charge of paying rent anymore," the woman announced.

"W-What!?"

"Your husband is. Congratulations on your marriage, by the way. It's about time he put a ring on it!" She nodded and disappeared down the stairs, leaving Lucy red as a tomato.

When she got over the shock of that awkward moment, a warmth filled her and she couldn't help but smile and shake her head. He probably had no idea about marriage or proposals; he didn't know a thing about family or romance, and yet there he was, doing the absolute best he could for Lucy. And that was enough. _That idiot. That overprotective, overbearing, idiot. _But, Natsu was Natsu, after all, and Lucy wouldn't have it any other way...

Author's note: There it is. I was super nervous yet again about this chapter, because no matter what, it wouldn't work with me at all. But I hope you got at least some enjoyment out of reading it. Well, take care. I am now going to start working on the next chapter. Hopefully I can get that up in the next couple of days!- Hallie


	4. Month Four: Cravings

Thank you to NaruSaku-Charlie7 and skelekc for reviewing! Both of you made my day! Especially with the nice things you said! So, I pushed myself to get this out for you both. I actually kinda smiled as I re-read this one and there wasn't much that I felt needed to be edited. I tend to have a difficult time with humor (if you've read some of my other works) so I was rather proud of myself for this slightly humorous and fluffy piece. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own, I just play around with the characters for my, and your entertainment!

Month Four: Cravings

Natsu woke up to the sound of rummaging in Lucy's kitchen. He shot up at first in alarm, thinking that it could be a prowler and raised his fist, flame in hand, ready to protect his soon-to-be family. Happy wasn't with them tonight, as he'd instead gone on a mission with Wendy and Carla, so he knew that the Exceed couldn't have caused the racket. That was when he noticed that Lucy's side of her bed was vacant. "Lucy?" He called out, stretching and yawning as he got up to see what she was doing. "It's so late, what's wrong? You should be in bed."

She smiled timidly at him, turning her attention back to what she was cooking in the frying pan. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. So, I ask again, what's wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep. I woke up and wanted some of those chocolate truffles you got me last week. Then, while I was eating them, suddenly I realized..." Her eyes widened in excitement as she talked about her culinary discovery. "Know what? Truffles would go amazingly with steak, wouldn't they!?"

At this, Natsu couldn't help but burst into laughter. She was so cute. With how her eyes lit up when she talked about food, almost like he and Happy, and then especially with her strange sense of taste. "Luce, you're so weird!"

The blonde pouted. "I am not!" She thought about it for a few moments though and sighed, turning the stove off. "I guess steak and truffles is weird, now that you mention it." She almost sounded depressed. "There must be something wrong with me to crave something like that..."

The Dragon Slayer snapped his head up at that statement. "No, there's nothing wrong with you. It's normal." He reached for the knob on the stove to turn it on, but then shrugged and held the frying pan in his hand, using his own magical heat to cook her food instead.

"Just forget about it, really, Natsu."

"No, I'm not gonna forget it, Luce! The baby wants to eat, so of course I'm not gonna starve him or her!" He argued heatedly. "What kind of a dad would I be then?"

She looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Cravings! Bisca told me about them!" He puffed his chest out, proud of the fact that he knew something that Lucy didn't. "She told me that she used to get the weirdest cravings when she was pregnant. She also warned me that you'd probably start with that too! And she told me that it would probably get crazier the further along you get. She said it was because the baby needed it, so I figured that our baby just really wants steak and truffles, right?" He grinned. "So just leave it to me!"

Sighing, Lucy hid her face in her hands. "Natsu... I don't even..."

"Just sit down and let Daddy cook!" There was almost a scary gleam in his eye when he spoke.

"Please, please don't burn the kitchen down," she begged.

He pointed to the table and chairs. "Sit!"

"All right, all right, I'm going," she muttered and plopped herself into a chair. She didn't have to wait long before a plate was set down in front of her.

"There, steak and truffles. Dig in!" He smirked and sat down in front of her at the table. He leaned forward on the table, resting his head on his arms and watched her closely as she devoured the strange meal, a smile present on his face.

She noticed his expression as he looked at her and stopped eating immediately, face burning in embarrassment. "W-what? Do I have something on my face?"

"You're cute, Luce."

"It's kinda hard to eat with you staring at me like that. I feel like a pig," she admitted sheepishly. "Oh, I know!" She brightened up and lifted her fork with both a piece of meat and a chunk of chocolate caramel from the truffle stuck to it, extending it to him. "Would you like me to share some with you?"

"Nah, truffles and steak is too weird for me. Besides, you and the baby need it. Since you feel so nervous with me watching you, I think I'm gonna try to get back to sleep."

"Thank you, Natsu. I'll join you soon."

* * *

Over the next few days, the cravings grew, too, just as Bisca had told Natsu they would. And as they did, Lucy grew less shy about them. Which on one hand was good, but then it was also bad for Natsu as well. Butterscotch mixed in with an omelet, teriyaki-dipped cookies, mint-flavored stew... He spent more and more nights eating at the guild, being unable to eat the strange things Lucy was cooking up for herself. Now, Natsu loved food. But whatever Lucy had been cooking for herself lately, well, he could hardly classify that as food.

He came back one night after a job and heard Lucy in the kitchen humming to herself as she cooked. "Hey, Luce, I'm home!" He had started to refer to her place as home because he spent almost all of his free time at her apartment.

"Natsu, welcome home!" And of course she accepted it readily. After all, she had told him that she wanted to stay with him, wherever they may be.

He approached her and hugged her from behind. "What's for dinner?"

His stomach clenched when he heard her answer. "Spaghetti and rice balls! Doesn't that sound good?"

"Eh?" _She's cute, but these cravings are gonna kill my stomach... _He thought. _Worse than trains ever could!_ With a nervous chuckle, he spoke up, "I think I'll just have some spaghetti. I don't need the rice balls."

"Hmm? Oh, okay. I had poured the sauce over everything already, but I'll remake it."

He swallowed hard before resigning himself to his fate. "Don't worry about doing that. I'll eat what you have made already."

"Are you sure?" She asked worriedly. "I'm sorry, I know my cravings have been a little off lately."

He nodded and took the food from her. "It's... okay. I'll deal with it." _After all, I don't see how it can get much worse, _he thought as he lay down in bed beside her watching her sleep. _It'll all be over soon. _With those comforting thoughts, he fell asleep.

"Natsu! Time for breakfast! Pickles and ice-cream! Doesn't that sound amazing right now!?"

"What!?" _On second thought, this won't be over soon enough, will it...?_

Author's note: I hope you guys liked it. I had lots of fun with this chapter. It kinda went the drabble-ish route again but that's good, ne? Review if you liked, or even if you didn't! I love to hear from ya! Thanks and see ya soon! ~ Hallie


	5. Month Five: Beautiful

Many thanks to the reviewers, FictionLover12, 1fairytaillover, IxiaLiliana and OTPsAreRuiningMyLife! Now this chapter I will say, while some parts gave me butterflies to write, I still found the chapter really difficult to finish. I found myself once again editing like crazy. I know that Natsu and Lucy both with seem OOC in this one, but then again, take it from firsthand experience: pregnancy does funny things to people. Especially the further it goes, things seem more real and frightening at times and people change usually for the better but sadly sometimes for the worse. Well, enough of me blabbing. On to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own it!

Month Five: Beautiful

Lucy woke up stretching and yawning, and then her stomach grumbled. Natsu wasn't around at the moment so she wondered idly where he'd gone. _Maybe he left to find a job at the guild with Happy?_ That meant that Lucy had to hurry. Lately, Natsu had been leaving on jobs without telling her. No doubt, he was worried for her and their child and he knew that she would try to argue her way into coming along with him. He would always argue back saying that he didn't want her out fighting in her condition. She hated being so helpless, and she hated the feeling needing to rely completely on Natsu for their livelihood, even though he repeatedly told her that he wanted to take care of her. Quickly she grabbed some clothes out of the closet, tossed them on the bed and started dressing. She first noticed it when she tried to button the pink blouse over her much bigger breasts. _Pop!_ It came loose. Again. And again. Until finally she managed to get it to stay. _That was weird. _Lucy picked up the pants and to her chagrin they wouldn't fasten at all around her waist. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that her belly was sticking out of the lower half of the shirt, with the waist of her pants bowing out because of her belly. She bit her lip, taking uneasy breaths in an effort to remain calm. _It's all right. It's just the baby. _She tried to remind herself._ Natsu's baby. He would be upset if our baby wasn't growing so much. I'll just buy some maternity clothes next time I'm out and no one will notice. _She stood there, internally repeating the same mantra for a few minutes and trying not to cry. Finally, she called on Virgo. She did her best to ignore the sudden feeling of fatigue as the spirit appeared before her.

"You called, Princess?" Virgo asked at once.

Giving the spirit a strained smile with tears in her eyes, she pointed to her clothing. "Can you... help me?"

"Of course, at once, Princess." She set to work immediately and when she finished Lucy wore a lose Celestial spirit sundress. Though she found out, unfortunately, her belly was getting too big to hide even in the loose dress. "There you are, Princess. You look quite lovely. Will you punish me now?"

Lucy just shook her head and sent Virgo back without reply. She felt completely self-conscious now, but she had no choice. She had to get to Fairy Tail and she couldn't waste time. And so she picked up her keys and left her home. Once down the street, Lucy felt completely vulnerable, and couldn't help but feel people were staring at her. She covered her belly with her arms and ran, reminding herself, _It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Natsu, Happy and everyone at Fairy Tail are here with me!_ Finally she reached Fairy Tail and flung open the doors. Soon the overpowering, wonderful aroma of food overcame her depression and her mouth watered. She idly wondered if the baby had inherited its father's appetite. "So hungry..."

Mirajane smiled. "I thought you might be. Why don't you join them? I'll bring some more out in a bit when it's ready."

Lucy took a seat beside Natsu and Happy, facing Erza, Gray, Levy and Juvia. A little more than irritated at Natsu for leaving her like that in the morning, she muttered, "Gee thanks for waiting guys."

Natsu bristled beside her. "Uh, well, I thought you might want to sleep in. Sleeping's good for the baby after all," he chuckled nervously.

"More like ditch me without a word and sneak off on a mission like always without even saying goodbye," she snapped.

He sighed. "Every time we leave you try find a way to come with. But I can't let you do that, not with the baby. It's too hard on you and too dangerous. What if you got hurt?"

"Says you," Lucy muttered. "How do you know I'd be in the way? I could just stay out of trouble, you know..." She trailed off and her argument was quickly forgotten when Mira came bringing a tray of food for everyone. Her mouth watered and she quickly grabbed up most of the food on the tray, shoveling it into her mouth. A ferocious appetite couldn't even begin to describe Lucy's hunger today.

"Oh, my, I'd better bring the rest, and quickly then," Mirajane said with a smile and rushed away to bring the rest.

It went on like this for some time, Lucy practically inhaling everything on her plate and ignoring everyone's stare as she devoured yet another helping. Without even looking she reached forward for another meatball, the same one that coincidentally Happy was trying grab onto. Her fork pierced the meatball and she quickly shoved it into her mouth and swallowed.

"That... that... that was _my _meatball!" Happy cried indignantly. "You've had way more than enough Lucy! You've eaten most of this food on the table! No wonder you're getting so fat!"

The air chilled around them all immediately and everyone froze in fear, eyes on Lucy as if she were a ticking time bomb. When nothing exploded they inwardly sighed in relief.

Shielding her eyes from everyone, Lucy stood and politely excused herself, making a hasty exit.

Once she'd gone, Erza slammed her hands down at the table. "Happy! There's a list of things you say to a pregnant girl and a list of things you just _don't_! That's number _one_ on the list of things you don't say! What's the _matter_ with you!?"

"Sorry, it just kinda slipped out. I got frustrated cuz she ate my meatball!" Happy tried to defend himself, though deep down he felt pretty awful.

Natsu shook his head. "Happy, you know she's right."

"And _you,_ Natsu you're even worse! You're supposed to be the father of the baby. You're supposed to protect the mother of your child and yet you let her leave without going after her!?" Erza screeched, eyes flashing dangerously. "Get... moving... now..." She pointed to the door. "_Out!_"

"A-aye, Sir!" Natsu yelped and raced out the door after Lucy.

"Wait, I'll go too!" Happy tried to follow but was caught by a menacing-looking Erza.

She smiled almost evilly at him. "Oh, no, I'm afraid not. I'm going to keep you here for a little reeducation on the etiquette of dealing with pregnant women instead. Don't worry, you'll survive. I have to keep you alive to apologize to Lucy later on."

Happy looked to the other girls for help, but found the same deadly gaze in the other female faces and the men around him looked as helpless as he felt. "I'm so dead..." He whimpered.

* * *

Natsu followed Lucy's scent all the way back to her apartment. When he entered the room through the window as usual he found Lucy wrapped up in a blanket, sniffling. He didn't have to smell her salt tears to know that she was crying. "Luce...?" He approached her and sat beside her. "That's gotta be pretty warm. You're gonna overheat if you keep that around you. Here." He tried to reach for the end of the blanket to unravel it from around her.

She pulled away and sat up, facing away from him. "_Don't_."

"Seriously, Lucy, it's hot enough in here as it is. Last thing you or the baby needs is for you to get heat stroke."

"I don't want you to see me! Don't look at me!" She shrieked, pushing him away.

The Dragon Slayer's eyes widened in surprise, and then understanding dawned in them. Later on he would have to thank Bisca for those many secret pregnancy talks they had been having lately. So far her advice seemed to be spot on. "Luce, I _want_ to see you. Let me see you."

"Why!? Why would you want to!?" She sobbed. "I'm fat, and hideous, and ugly and-"

He silenced her with a kiss, surprising her enough that the blanket fell from around her. He pushed her back onto her bed, pinning her arms up above her head so they could no longer resist him, and deepened the kiss. Slowly he let his fingertips graze the gentle swell that was her belly. He pulled away slightly so he could get a better look at her. "Don't do that. Don't say you're ugly. It's not true."

"It _is_! Happy even said I was fat!" She wailed.

Natsu shook his head. "He's being dealt with. You don't call any pregnant woman fat." He gazed at Lucy's tear-stricken face, bringing his hand up to trace her cheek. His hand then trailed downward, tracing each voluptuous curve until it came to rest on the slight bump of her belly. His fingers traced tiny circles as he gazed on in awe. Natsu felt that overwhelming sense of wonder overcome him for the first time when he felt it. Inside Lucy's tummy, underneath his tracing fingertips, he felt their baby move for the first time. "I felt it," he said, his eyes lightening up almost like a child's. "It's... amazing." Natsu breathed, leaning forward and kissing her exposed tummy gently before looking up at her again, a gentle smile on his face. "You won't be able to hide from me, you know. No matter what, you're always gonna be beautiful."

New tears started to fall down her cheeks and she clung to him and sobbed.

"O-oy... What did I say? Did I upset you!?" He asked frantically, trying to calm her down. "I didn't mean anything bad and it's not a lie! You _are_ beautiful to me-!"

She cut Natsu off with a shake of her head as she burrowed deeper into his protective embrace. "Thank you."

He chuckled lightly. "Must be those crazy hormones again."

"Jerk!" She smacked him in the head. "Looks like Happy isn't the only one who doesn't know how to treat a pregnant lady!" Though she smiled as she spoke.

Natsu just laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

Author's note: Happy was such a meanie! Oh, well, I'm sure Erza will take care of him! LOL! Though, I do gotta say I like the ending of this. Just for the simple fact that they started acting in-character again. Well, despite everything, tell me your thoughts. Send a review, PM, whatever you feel like! Thanks a bunch and see you next 'month!' ~ Hallie


	6. Month Six: Bonds

Thank you to Rose Tiger, 1fairytaillover, FictionLover12, and xEhyeh-Asher-Ehyehx for the lovely reviews. I'm having lots of fun writing this and getting your nice comments and warm fuzzies! I figured I'd drop off another chapter since I had the time to edit it. I also worked this one over quite a bit as well, taking into account some worries or thoughts you guys had! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Fairy Tail

Month Six: Bonds

"Natsu! Natsu! You have to come quick!" Happy had burst into the guild frantically calling for the Salamander. "It's the baby!"

The salmon-haired mage's blood turned to ice at those words. Without giving a reply he burst out of the guild doors and raced as fast as he could back to Lucy's apartment. Wasting no time he leaped up to her window and broke in, fear coursing through his entire being. "LUCY!" He shouted, panicked. "Where are you!?"

"Natsu?" Lucy gasped, putting a hand over her heart. "You frightened me..."

"What's wrong!?" He looked her over. She sat upright in bed, where he'd left her this morning. She held a book in one hand, hand over her chest in the other. A blanket covered her form loosely, though he could easily see the bulge in her midsection where his unborn child lay. He thought back to their last meeting with Wendy and Porlyusica. They were advised to keep Lucy off her feet as much as possible as it seemed she was beginning to show signs of having early labor pains. With everything that had happened to Lucy in the past month, Porlyusica had reasoned, the pains had likely been a result. She also warned them about Lucy using magic too often and explained the reasons for her recent fatigue were because she was running low on magical energy, as it was being used to protect the baby. Upon hearing that, Natsu had been completely wound up, on edge, and so completely overprotective of Lucy as of late. He had been so worried that more than a few times he had taken her keys with him when he went on missions and left Happy to watch over her.

"What? I'm fine. What would give you the idea that something was wrong?"

"Happy just flew into the guild yelling for me to get over here!"

"Natsu! And if you'd have listened to me before charging in here I would've explained it!" Said feline flew into the open window and perched himself on the windowsill. "The baby started moving a lot and Lucy wanted you to feel it. She said that you'd want to! Now that you're here, you _should_ feel the baby! It's strong!"

The Dragon Slayer let out a shaky breath. "Then the baby's okay...?"

Lucy smiled. "Of course, Silly. Oh!"

Natsu's head snapped up when she let out a cry. "What is it!?" He demanded, crouching beside her on the bed.

"Quick!" She pulled aside the blanket and moved her shirt up, grabbing for Natsu's hand and pulling it to her belly. "There! Did you feel it?"

Her stomach jolted against his hand. He felt it. He traced circles around and then once again, though with less force than last time, her belly pushed back."Hey, I feel it!"

The Exceed had a happy grin on his face. "Just wait'll I tell Carla and everyone else! I'm going back to the guild. Gotta leave you two lovebirds alone anyway right?"

"See you later, Happy. We'll leave when I get back there," Natsu promised.

"Aye! We'll leave later tonight, then!" He said before leaping out of the window and flying away down the street, disappearing into the setting sun.

That left Lucy and Natsu alone. She smiled in amazement up at him. "It's so strange. I feel the baby moving in there all the time lately," she giggled. "I think it's going to be as energetic as its daddy." Her gaze softened as she looked down at her rounding belly. "So, we haven't thought of a name yet."

"A name?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow.

The blonde nodded. "Yes, of course we don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but that means we should come up with names for both!"

"Boy or girl, huh? Let's see..." He lay his head down on her belly, putting his ear up right next to it.

"What are you doing?" Lucy inquired curiously as she watched him.

"Shh!" Natsu covered her mouth. When her stomach jolted again and he chuckled. "I can hear her now."

"Her?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, it's gonna be a girl." He lifted his head and looked straight at Lucy.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"Duh. I heard her," he said, laughing as if that statement should explain it.

She shook her head, confused. "I don't understand."

"Instinct, I guess," Natsu tried to explain. "I can smell her and I can hear her. I can't explain it much more than that, sorry."

Reaching her hand out, she stroked his salmon-colored locks as he continued to rest his head upon her stomach. "If you say that you know she's a girl, then of course I believe you," she responded. "I already know how strong the bonds between the two of you are, and we haven't even met her yet."

"You really think so?" He asked, raising his head to look her in the eye.

"Of course, I know so," she answered him with a laugh of her own. "She knows your voice already. Since you came in here she's already calmed down a lot. She moves around a lot when she can't hear you. Babies can start to hear things from early on in the womb, you know?"

"Well then," Natsu said, his eyes lighting up. "When I do leave for this job, I'll come back and then I'm gonna have a whole story to tell the both of you! How does that sound?" A jolt of her stomach underneath his hand made him chuckle. "Okay, I know how you feel. How does Mommy feel about it?"

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, causing them both to blush slightly at the contact. "It sounds wonderful."

He ruffled her hair playfully. "Now for that name... Since it's a girl it should be easier to pick."

"What about... Natsuko?" Lucy suggested with a smile.

"Well..." Natsu paused. "It's good but... what if she takes your name? After all she's a girl like you. Like Lucille or Lucia or something like that."

Lucy shook her head. "Please not that! Sorry, I just really don't like that name all that much..."

"Aw, too bad," Natsu laughed. "I really liked your name, but that's okay, I guess. I have a better idea. What if, since she'll be our kid, we take parts from both of our names and put them together?"

Her eyes shining, Lucy could hardly contain her excitement. "Yes, that's a great idea Natsu! What about Nalu?" She looked out the window and realized that it had darkened considerably. "Natsu look, it's about time for you to be going isn't it?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Not until we decide on a name and I rule out Nalu!"

"Why?"

"I just plain don't like it!"

With a sigh, she turned back to staring out the window at the moon and the night sky. "Well do you have a better idea then?" She snapped at him.

"Well, what about Luna?" He asked.

"You mean you just reversed Nalu to come up with that?" She brought her palm up against her forehead and grimaced.

"I like how Luna sounds better than Nalu," he reasoned with a shrug.

"Oh, well." The Celestial Wizard stared out the window once again. "Luna," she said softly. "Like the moon. I suppose I could learn to like it." Beneath her stomach, their child moved again and she laughed, her hands coming up to cradle her belly. "I guess Luna it is! The baby seems to like it!"

Natsu's hands covered Lucy's. "I'm glad to hear that we all agree." He knelt to give her a kiss and then kissed her belly. "I have to get going, now. We agreed that we'd meet up around now to leave. You gonna be okay tonight by yourself?"

She saw his reluctance to leave and smiled. "We'll be all right. You already have Levy coming over to stay with me."

"I know," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously and chuckled. "I guess... after everything I just can't help being too careful, huh?" Natsu knew it now. If he lost Lucy or the baby, he would be completely and utterly lost. It was the same feeling he had always felt for Happy. Of course, it made sense to him, because she was now part of his family as well. Along with their baby. _My family... _Lucy's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"To be honest I'm more worried about _you_." Her hand caught his arm and she gave it a squeeze. "Natsu, _please_ be careful. We'll both be waiting for you to come back safely to us to tell us those stories."

"I will," he promised. "Trust me. You don't have to worry about that." His hand found hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze before breaking the contact and turning to leave. He stepped out of the home and away from his loved ones, determination fueling his heart. As long as he had his little family to look out for and protect, he knew there wasn't a force in Earthland that could stop him from returning to them.

Author's note: This might be a good time to let you guys know that some things in this fic that I'm hinting at in here that may have you confused or feeling out of the loop. I do actually plan on expanding and making a story about some of them to explain in greater detail. I am doing this on purpose and leaving open possibilities to continue writing in this same universe. For instance, possibly a one-shot about Erza's "talk" with Natsu and Lucy and Erza's "re-education" with Happy. Then also the "everything that happened to Lucy in the past month" mentioned in this chapter. I'm also starting a skeleton on that as well. Heck, maybe even the how the situation came about that got Natsu and Lucy into this whole mess in the first place (though likely it won't be a lemon, sorry, I'm super awkward with those). Anyway, leave reviews and/or PM's to give me some of your thoughts like this. Laters and see ya next 'month'! ~ Hallie


	7. Month Seven: Moody

Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay. Another difficult revising period for this. I ended up redoing about a half of this chapter. It still didn't turn out quite the way I wanted but I'll leave it up to you guys to decide if it's passable or not. Anyway, I would love to thank all of you who reviewed. Rose Tiger, skelekc, FictionLover12, Fenrir The White Wolf, for you guys, I dedicate this next chapter. I really hope you enjoy and I'm so sorry to keep you waiting.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Month Seven: Moody

Natsu didn't even see it coming. Really. It was morning and as he was getting ready to head over to the guild with Lucy and Happy. In the past couple weeks, Lucy was cleared to do a bit more than before, having been given the go-ahead by Porlyusica. The three of them were talking lightly about something or other as they headed for the door. Lucy had been joking about some strange old pictures about him and Lisanna together that she found. She laughed then. "You all just looked so funny, what in the world were you guys doing?"

"Playing house with Happy. I was the husband, she was the wife, and he was the kid. We had this dumb promise that we were gonna marry when we grew up after all."

"They liiiiiiked each other!" Happy teased.

The laughter stopped immediately and Natsu could have sworn the temperature dropped several degrees around them. "Is... that... so...?"

"Uh, yeah. Well it was dumb anyway and it wasn't my idea to begin with." Natsu shrugged. "Things definitely didn't go the way anybody planned but they never do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy snapped suddenly.

He took a step back, slightly frightened by the scary look his girlfriend was giving him. "What? Y-you were asking about the picture, so I was telling you..."

"I didn't ask for all that unnecessary information!" She clenched her fists and straightened herself to glare at him right in the eye. "Why the hell would you bring that up!? Unless you really _wanted _to marry her! That's it, isn't it!? And the only reason you picked me up and brought me to Fairy Tail was that you needed a replacement because she was gone! _Answer _me, Natsu Dragneel!"

Happy hid behind the Dragon Slayer. "Natsu, Lucy's scary!"

Of course, Natsu probably could have chosen his own words better. "That's gotta be the _dumbest_ thing I've ever heard."

And then it started. Tears fell down her cheeks. "So you're saying I'm dumb now, is that it?"

"W-what!? Stop twisting my words around, Luce! That's not what I said at all and you know it!"

"You just said what I said was the dumbest thing you ever heard!"

"Well that's because it _was_!" Natsu shouted. "Only an idiot could think of something that crazy!"

The Exceed tugged on his scarf from behind. "Um, Natsu, I might be wrong but I think you're making things worse."

"So now I'm an idiot _and_ I'm crazy!?" She turned away from him and made to move to the door when a sudden pain tore through her abdomen. "Gah..." She doubled over.

The argument was forgotten on his end and Natsu rushed to the Stellar Mage's side. "Lucy!" He was about to put an arm around her but obviously she hadn't forgotten so easily about their misunderstanding.

"Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" She pushed him away and stormed out.

He turned to look at Happy. "Happy?"

The blue flying feline gulped. "Yeah?"

"Can you tell me what in the hell just happened?"

"What are you asking me for?" The cat responded, just as clueless as the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu sighed. "Well, we should probably head to the guild and try to calm her down..."

* * *

On the way to the guild alone, Lucy sighed, thinking back to their conversation. _Why did I act that way? It never bothered me to hear about Lisanna before... And I know she's a wonderful person. _Tears pricked at her eyes. _It's me. I'm a bad person for this... I'm jealous over his childhood friend. Ugh, I hate myself right now. _She entered into the guild and took a seat dejectedly in the corner, trying to hide away from everyone. She only barely had noticed that people seemed to be keeping their distance from her today. Even Mira seemed preoccupied with something else, which would have bothered Lucy more if she hadn't been so hung up on her fight with Natsu. What made her suddenly flip out for no reason like that? It was a mystery to herself, too. Natsu looked confused as all hell, which in the end, Lucy realized that she couldn't blame him, and that made her feel worse. Was it because every night she went to bed, her back ached so she constantly had to toss and turn in an attempt to get comfortable? Or that she was sore all over with swollen joints and the whole nine yards? Or that she couldn't even bend down to tie her own boots anymore? That she could no longer look down and see her own two feet? The list went on...

She looked down at her protruding stomach. Oh, yes. She was feeling so very self-conscious. She felt like a beached whale and looked much worse, she supposed. Lucy wondered how Natsu could stand to look at her nowadays. _And then I go and do things like this. I'm a complete and total witch. At this point I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to run off and elope somewhere with Lisanna, _she thought with self-pity and self-loathing.

The doors to the guild opened and she looked up, seeing Natsu. She knew he was looking for her, because as soon as he saw her he made his way over to her. "Lucy!"

Suddenly feeling very ashamed, she stood quickly and fled to another room in the guild, locking the door behind her.

"Lucy!" Natsu called after her. "What the hell is with her right now and why is she so damn moody!?" He wished that Bisca were there, but apparently the woman had to stay home with her own child. Asuka had come down with a nasty cold a couple days back and was still recuperating.

Luck hadn't totally left him, though. He could still count on Alzack. As her husband, Natsu figured that he might have some good advice on how to deal with Lucy and her crazy hormones. He chuckled knowingly when Natsu flagged him down. "You've had a few tiny samplings before, but only now have you completely fallen victim to the dreaded mood-swing," Alzack said, clapping Natsu on the shoulder. "There are a few rules to that. First rule, anything you have to say can and definitely _will_ be misquoted and used against you. Second, no matter what, just apologize. It makes things go so much easier. And last but not least, remember that she's probably not aware of what she's even saying. It makes about as much sense to her as it does to you. Alls I can say after that is good luck, my friend."

The Dragon Slayer shook his head, bewildered. "How can she not be aware of what she's saying right now? She just snapped off at me because we were talking about the old days with Lisanna."

"And then he called her an idiot," Happy interjected.

"Thanks for reminding me," Natsu groaned at the cat.

Lisanna approached them, overhearing her name spoken and parts of what was being said. "Natsu, problems with Lucy?" She asked.

"...Yeah," he muttered.

Alzack laughed outright this time, to Natsu's dismay. "He's having a rough time with it."

The white-haired take-over mage nodded her agreement. "I would imagine so, but Natsu, try to remember. She's tired. She's sore. She's scared out of her mind and probably feeling really vulnerable right now. I don't doubt she's feeling unattractive, too. This talk about our childhood, as innocent as it was probably upset her and she didn't know how to handle it."

Natsu scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Wow, you know a lot."

"I _am_ a girl, silly," Lisanna giggled.

The salmon-haired mage cleared his throat. "Then, what should I do?"

"Go out. Buy her something pretty. Flowers, a card, some sweets, anything will do. Reassure her. Tell her she's beautiful. Tell her you're sorry. Chances are, she probably feels bad about how she's acted towards you, too."

A smile soon returned to Natsu's face. "Thanks, but..." He paused before asking. "Think you could help me with that? I don't know what she'd like and I'm bad with that stuff."

Returning his smile, she took him by the hand and led him and Happy outside of the guild. "Poor Natsu, you really are hopeless, aren't you? So this means that in addition to helping my sister plan the baby shower, I'm also helping you with your relationship issues, too?" She sighed. "Come on, let's get going, then!"

What they didn't know is that Lucy had decided to come out of hiding just in time to see them both leave together. She bit her lip. _I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. _

"Lucy? Are you all right?" Mirajane asked, worry evident in her features. She had apparently finished whatever she'd been fixated with earlier and now noticed Lucy moping about.

The blonde mage faked a smile. "Yeah, I think I'm just going to go home and take a nap. I'm tired." Quickly she left before anyone else could ask any questions. She marched straight home and collapsed into bed, staring at the wall. _I really have pushed him away. He was right. I am an idiot. _The baby kicked, interrupting her thoughts. A hand moved down to her belly, trying to calm it down but it didn't seem to be working. Apparently their daughter-to-be didn't like how her mother was feeling.

Lucy didn't like it either, but she didn't know how else to feel. Finally, her exhaustion took over and she fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"Lisanna? Why are you insisting on buying her a ring?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow.

She blew out her bangs in frustration. "Natsu, I can't believe you just asked me that. You mean you're not going to propose to her at all?"

"Wait a minute, pose as what?" He asked.

Happy laughed. "No, Natsu. _Propose_. You know, marriage? As in get married to Lucy."

"Oh! I already did that." He cringed, recalling back to the punishment he'd received from Erza when she first learned of Lucy's condition. "Erza told me about all that stuff so it's already taken care of." He puffed out his chest proudly.

Lisanna scratched her head in confusion. "You guys got married already? Why weren't we all invited?" She frowned. "And where's Lucy's ring?"

"Natsu, you didn't even invite me to your wedding!" Happy cried. "That's so cold!"

"What's this about a wedding!?" Natsu asked, sweat-dropping. "I said Lucy and I were married! Marriage is different than a wedding!"

"Hey, Natsu," Lisanna asked, rubbing her temples to stave off a headache. "What exactly do you think marriage is...?"

"Well, duh, it's when a guy and a girl live together and start a family. What else did you think it was?" Came his answer.

_Poor Lucy... I could almost cry myself because this guy is so hopeless, _Lisanna thought with a shake of her head.

"Not even close, Natsu!" Happy groaned. "No wonder Lucy's been so upset with you lately!"

He took a step back from them defensively. "What!?"

"Natsu," Lisanna sighed and explained from the beginning again. "You skipped the most important part of the marriage for the girl! You know, the whole white gown and flowers part? A wedding happens at the beginning of a marriage. It's the event where the boy and the girl pledge their love for each other in front of their loved ones. The rings symbolize that love between the two. Don't you remember at all from when we were kids...?"

His eyes widened. "Oh, right. Then, we still need to get married? We should go do it now!"

The white-haired mage stopped him. "Wait! It's better to ask the girl if she'll marry you first than just plowing ahead with the plans. Propose to her tonight! Hand her the ring and _ask_ her to marry you! She will be so much happier, I promise," she said with a dreamy smile. "Come on, let's pick out a ring!"

And so, Lisanna forgot about Mirajane's baby shower plans, instead helping Natsu find the perfect promise ring for Lucy. Time passed as they went from shop to shop, but then Natsu stopped suddenly, staring at one ring in particular. "What about this one?" He asked, pointing at it.

"Hm, let me see," she said, looking it over. It was a small golden band, with a small diamond carved delicately at the top. It wasn't much compared to the huge rocks that surrounded it though, with their thick woven golden bands and designs. "It's pretty, but why not one of these other ones?" She asked.

"They're not right for Lucy," Natsu simply answered. "She wouldn't like them." This ring, it was just like Lucy. Small, dainty, simple, and just plain beautiful. That ring didn't need a bunch of fancy extras to stand out because it was gorgeous just the way it was, like Lucy herself. "No, this one for sure," he said, his mind made up.

"Yeah, he's right. I bet Lucy would really like that one," Happy agreed.

"If you're sure," Lisanna relented.

And he was. It was quiet as they made their way back with the purchase. "Thanks again, Lisanna," Natsu said with a light laugh. "You've made me feel a lot better about this. I thought that for sure Lucy would hate my guts after this."

His childhood friend smiled back at him. "Of course, what are friends for after all? Let's go back to the guild and show it to her." Once they arrived there, they were disappointed to see that Lucy had gone back home.

Mirajane was none too happy with Lisanna for leaving when she was still trying to put everything together for the baby shower, either. "I needed you to go buy the supplies and now all the stores are about to close," she pouted. "I had to send Elfman for everything and I can only pray he doesn't mess it up!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Lisanna said, trying to placate her sister with repeated apologetic bows. "I'll stay and help! I was just trying to help Lucy and Natsu after all!"

"Oh, speaking of Lucy," Mira said, turning to the Salamander. "You should go home and get her. We're almost done here as soon as Elfman gets back. It would be bad if the guest of honor missed her own party."

The salmon-haired boy nodded. "I gotta get going. I'll be back soon."

Lisanna winked at him, giving him a thumbs up. "Good luck! Happy, you should stay with us this time. Mira probably needs us to pick up the slack from when I was gone."

"Aye!" The Exceed chirped excitedly. "The good thing about parties is there's gonna be a lot of fish!" He flew over to assist some of the other guild members with the decorations.

The older sister turned to Lisanna with a slight frown on her face. "Are you going to be okay with this?" She asked worriedly.

"Of course I am," Lisanna answered, her gaze softening. "I do love him, but they're both my friends and in the end I love them both. I only want them to be happy. If they're happy, then I can wait my turn and let them go on ahead. Nothing's stopping me from being happy for them, right?" She wiped a few stray tears and then turned to Mira with a brilliant smile. "We have to hurry! They're going to be here soon!"

* * *

She woke up to a tapping on the window as he entered through it. It was a struggle to sit up but finally she managed and rubbed her eyes. "Natsu... you're back..."

"Aye," he answered her with a small smile on his face. "I just wanted to say that I-"

"I'm so sorry, Natsu! I'm sorry!" She cried, ambushing him in a hug. "Please, before you leave with Lisanna, I just wanted you to know that!"

He had to step back to support both her weight and his. It took him a second to register what she said. "Wait a minute, what are you talking about?"

Tears fell down her cheeks as she murmured into his shoulder. "I saw you both leave together. I know I've been really awful to you and I wouldn't blame you if you hated me. I even hate myself right now."

Natsu's eyes widened and his arms wrapped around her, pulling her as close as he could with her belly still being in the way. "How could I hate you? I gotta say I'm sorry too. I didn't mean it earlier, what I said, I mean." He looked away and blushed. "And... I needed Lisanna's help with something." She looked up at him quizzically but waited for him to continue. He pulled away and pulled out the tiny box, handing it to her. "Here. I kinda got the wrong idea about getting married," he said, laughing nervously. "I actually had never given it much thought or care and I just was treating it like we were already married. I didn't know how much stuff was supposed to go into it."

She couldn't help but start laughing through her tears. All this time she had been worrying about how he still felt toward her. Aside from referring to her as his wife once or twice, he hadn't once proposed to her and she had worried about it. She worried that Natsu didn't want to stay with her. Now she knew that wasn't the case. How had she ever doubted him? Her sweet, protective, naïve, caring, and loyal Natsu? She wouldn't have him any other way. Opening the box, she saw the ring and smiled tearfully. "Thank you," she whispered, putting it on. "I'll never take it off."

"You weirdo. You'll need to take it off sometimes, like when you're taking a bath and stuff. Anyway, Mira had something she wanted to show you back at the guild so let's go." He pulled her along.

"Wait, at least let me make sure I look presentable!" She stopped to look at herself in the mirror. "I was just crying my eyes out."

"You look fine. C'mon!" He urged her out the door of the apartment and then the building before taking her hand and leading to the guild. He didn't stop until they reached the hall and he smirked at her before flinging the door open.

"Honestly, Natsu, I don't see what could be going on this late in the evening-"

"SURPRISE, LUCY!" Everyone's voices including Natsu's rang together throughout the guild hall.

From the look on the blonde's face, she was thoroughly surprised. But she soon recovered with one of the happiest smiles Natsu had ever seen and he grinned in response. "Mirajane and Lisanna got everyone together to throw a surprise party for the baby," he explained.

"Everyone, thank you so much..." Tears of happiness welled up in her eyes.

Mirajane and Lisanna approached and both sisters hugged her at the same time. "So, are you surprised?" Mira asked.

"You bet I am," Lucy answered, giggling. She turned to Lisanna. "I should apologize to you, though. After everything you did for me..." She hung her head in shame. "I was jealous, and I thought things I shouldn't have about you. You've never given me reason to worry, and yet I could think that you and Natsu would run away behind my back." She bowed as low as she could. "I'm sorry!"

Lisanna blinked for a moment, surprised by the apology. "No, no, don't apologize." She waved her hands in front of her. "I understand, Lucy, believe me, I do. I had to explain it to Natsu, actually." She smiled warmly and pulled Lucy into another hug. "Awhile back, I told you to stay by his side. Remember?" She waited for Lucy's nod to continue. "Well, I meant it then and I still feel the same way now. Stay by him always, and take care of him for me, okay?" She whispered into the Stellar Mage's ear. "I'm counting on you."

"Lisanna..." Lucy's voice wavered with such heartfelt emotion, Lisanna worried for a second that she was going to cry along with the pregnant mage in her embrace. But then Lucy continued. "I will. Thank you so much. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you. You'll never know how much this means to me."

The girls pulled apart as Natsu approached and put his arm around Lucy. "Thanks again for the help, Lisanna!"

"Oh, by the way, do you like the ring, Lucy?" She asked.

The Celestial Spirit Mage nodded. "I love it! Did you pick it out for me?"

"Nope. Natsu did actually. He said it reminded him of you."

The Dragon Slayer pumped his fist into the air, making a victory pose. "I was right, too!"

"Oh, fine, I admit it this time," Lisanna laughed. "Good job, Natsu."

Lucy looked around at all her friends, no, her family who had come together to throw this celebration for her. _Mama, this new journey I'm taking can be scary. But I think I'll be just fine as long as I have my family at Fairy Tail here with me, and Natsu by my side._

Author's Note: Between my jobs and revision problems and just life in general, the update for this chapter went slower than I planned. Sorry! Let it be a consolation that there's only two chapters left, though, so it will be finished, I promise! Anyway, review, let me know how you liked it, or even if you weren't crazy about it. Like I said, this is not my favorite chapter by any means and I apologize if you feel the same way. I just don't see how I could have improved, but I guess that's how we grow as writers. It means the next time I write, it can only get better, ne? Well, take care and see you next 'month' dear readers! ~ Hallie


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